Originally posted on Noise Cannon: http://noisecannon.com/2015/01/21/the-weeks-the-joiners-southampton/
Touring across the UK in a string of intimate venues are The Weeks, known for supporting (and sounding like) Kings of Leon. Beginning at The Joiners in Southampton the band brought along with them Nashville six-piece, The Apache Relay. The night was sure as hell full of guitar-centric melodies and grinding bass lines a-plenty – it was a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll.
The Apache Relay provided the crowd with something we’ll call beguiling folk’n’roll and sure enough, whether or not you knew who these guys were, they had you firmly in the palm of their hands. While moments in between songs showed the band to be humble in their disbelief of touring overseas, their performance was anything but. Well into their groove, everything from the drums to the guitar and of course those vocals, were so sharply on point, and who could forget the unsuspecting essence of that violin to add a unique warming charm.
Before we delve into The Weeks’ performance let’s set something straight. Yes, there is indeed an uncanny resemblance to fellow southern rockers Kings of Leon (seriously, if you’re a KoL fan then these guys will be right up your street). However it’d be plain ignorant not to recognise a hidden charisma in their array of sounds, even if a lot of it does center on southern rock n’ roll. So yes, you may be able to close your eyes and just about fool yourself into thinking you’re in a room with the Followill brothers, but not for too long.
The Weeks were rocking and rolling all over the stage and perhaps a little too much of the same sound went on, but it was the funk-shrouded performance of ‘Mississippi Rain’ that stuck out – oh man, that funky bass line, and not to mention the array of striking riffs. Every element of every guitar rang delightfully through your ears, shaking up rhythm in your body. The night only got better from there, with the band closing on ‘Buttons’, fuelled with maximum energy that shook right through the venue.
Overall there was class, there was guitar, there was long hair and beards, but what really shone through the performance was the feel-good energy that filled the room. These are two bands that could fill out the bigger venues, no problem, yet this string of intimate shows are set to be something else entirely, expect to be blown away but also amongst friends (who just so happen to be handy with a few instruments and a stage).
SAMANTHA MAE 